Quote:Check out this one as an example.
Yes, let's!
According to Gallup, 49% identified as Republicans, and 43% "independents", with only 8% Dems. (it being fairly well established that "lean Republicans" are basically Republicans, and "lean Democrats" are basically Democrats, with only a 10%-ish slice of independents actually voting independently). They are 70-whopping-percent conservative identified, and 22 "moderate". Only 7% identify as liberal.
Like Republicans, they are slightly more male and slightly higher income than the general population. This is also true of more conservative vs. less conservative Republicans. Similarly, they are light on minorities, especially blacks.
The single-digit % numbers for liberals and democrats are pathetically small, to the point where they might well just be errors, people confused by the poll, or people selecting randomly.
These are Republicans. Conservative republicans. Other than being Conservative Republicans, they are basically just ordinary Americans.
I believe the term is "Quod Erat Demonstrandum."
-Jester
Afterthought: Let's be clear - this accurately describes the group of people who *support* the Tea Parties. Largely, this is driven by the go-to conservative media, Fox, where the movement has received fawning coverage from moment one.
This is *not* the initial group of people who formed the first round of protests, who are a much less homogenous group, plucked from all sorts of extreme camps. These are single-issuers, gun nuts, the black helicopter crowd, the Larouchies, etc... These people do not make up more than a small fraction of the current supporters, although they are still vocal, visible, and in some cases, influential as founders of the movement.